Book One: Panacea (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Forty

Diana lays awake in her bed, she's been awake a long while now, just staring at her ceiling. She doesn't really sleep much anymore. Every time she closes her eyes she sees Alaric, and then she wakes in a cold sweat with a pain in her chest. So she fights sleep. Fights it with everything she has because it hurts too much to dream of them and what they had between them. No guy has ever affected her this way, not this much, or with this intensity. He's buried in her deep. And she actually hates what he's done to her. She was fine. She was absolutely fine before she met Alaric. Now she's a mess. She turns over and buries her head in her pillow with a sigh.

...........

Diana is once again dragged by John to the Founders' hall. She's not exactly energized enough to argue with him. She lingers at the back of the room as Damon, John, and Sheriff Forbes discuss the new vampire problem.

"There was a disturbance at the hospital blood bank last night; some of the supply was compromised." The Sheriff admits.

"Compromised? You mean stolen?" Damon asks her.

"We almost missed it. The inventory records were altered but when the night manager was questioned he had no recollection of changing them."

"Meaning that the vampire who stole the blood used mind control to hide the theft." John offers.

"I know what you meant," Damon comments as he looks at John.

"We wouldn't have noticed had John not alerted us to recent discrepancies in other hospital blood banks in the county."

"How lucky for us, we have John," Diana mumbles under her breath.

"We're stepping up security at the hospital, giving the guard vervain to prevent this from happening again."

"Sheriff, may I offer a suggestion? Why don't Diana, Damon, and I put our heads together? We can track down whoever is doing this."

"Truthfully I can use the extra hands. Is that something you would be willing to do?"

"Well, of course, I mean if it'll help."

"I think we could make a good team, don't you think, Damon?" John offers as he gives Damon a look.

"John, whatever I can do to help keep this town safe; even if it means spending time with you." Damon looks at John and smiles, John smiles too. Diana rolls her eyes and stands.

"Are we done?" She asks. "I'd really like to not be here anymore" John sighs and shoots her a look.

...........

"You were right about John," Damon tells Diana as she sits on the hood of her jeep, she gives him a look. Damon paces slightly. "He is a jackass" She snorts a little.

"Yep" She agrees and lets out a breath. She rolls her shoulder and Damon glances at her.

"What's wrong with your shoulder?" he asks her.

"John's been making me train again" She mumbles. "My muscles actually hurt, and they haven't hurt since I began my training with Artie" she touches her shoulder. "Even she wasn't this much of a taskmaster" she glances at her cell phone in her other hand, just stares at it. She keeps waiting for something to come, some text, or photo, or threat, or something from X. But they have been suspiciously quiet for the last three weeks. Granted she has also stayed away from Alaric for the last three weeks too. That was what they wanted from her.  She lets out a breath and looks back at Damon who is smirking at her, she lets out a breath and raises an eyebrow. "What?" she asks him.

"So you and Ric?" he counters her, she cocks her head. He smirks suggestively at her.

"He told you?!" she counters, he shakes his head.